Track Listing

1. What Child Is This?
2. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
3. Respighi: Ancient Aires and Dances [Excerpt]
4. Christmas Song
5. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
6. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
7. White Christmas
8. Flower Carol
9. Winter Wonderland
10. Silent Night
11. Auld Lang Syne

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14497 in Music
• Released on: 1991-07-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.com
Words aren't required when David Grisman gets in the holiday mood. On this 1983 album, the acclaimed mandolinist strings together an assortment of holiday tunes like they're popcorn strung around an ornament-laden pine. With the likes of bassist Rob Wasserman and Bela Fleck in town, Grisman gives the dawg treatment to everything from "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" to "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," closing out, appropriately enough, with "Auld Lang Syne." With picking this tasteful, it's really rather a shame that Acoustic Christmas will inevitably be packed away for 11 months of the year. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

A Classic !
This album is a true Grisman classic. Who else could put together such a distinct Christmas album? WHAT CHILD IS THIS is done in the old english style with mandolin accompanied by a band of minstrels playing recorders. SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN is done bluegrass style with virtuoso Bela Fleck on banjo. Respighi's ANCIENT AIRES AND DANCES is a beautiful rendering of this classical composition done with mandonlin, mandola, and mandocello. THE CHRISTMAS SONG is a soft, jazzy, acoustic version of Mel Torme's classic. GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN is done as an acoustic jazz tune in 6/8 time. WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS offers a touch of comic relief with Grisman's mandolin accompanying a Donald Duck impersonator. WHITE CHRISTMAS presents jazz guitar virtuoso Martin Taylor and John Stafford on tenor sax. THE FLOWER CAROL is another old english style number done with an accompanying hurdy-gurdy, crumhorns, and recorders. WINTER WONDERLAND is done in a swing style reminiscent of the Hot Club Quintet with Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. SILENT NIGHT is done in a bossa nova (?) style with accompnying vocal percussion and vocal trumpet. AULD LANG SYNE also presents Bela Fleck on banjo with a slower beginning tempo which kicks into bluegrass overdrive upon the key modulation.

With former DGQ members Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, and Rob Wasserman providing the rhythm section this album reflects what I believe to have been the glory days of the Grisman legacy. Displaying Grisman's unique musical diversity, ingenius arrangements, and mandolin virtuosity with this all-star lineup, ACOUSTIC CHRISTMAS is a Christmas album in a class of its own. It actually makes a musical statement apart from the context of it being a holiday album. This is a must buy for fans of Grisman, jazz, bluegrass, or Christmas music in general.

Love this CD
This CD really gets me in the mood for Christmas. I listen to it every year starting right after Thanksgiving, if I can wait that long! This year I am giving it away as Christmas gifts to all my friends. It's really beautiful and fun!

Best Christmas CD - whether you like Christmas music or not
This CD has been a Christmas favorite in my household for years. Most Christmas songs fall into one of three categories (in my humble opinion): Cheesy, Overly Cheerful, or Sullen. This CD is none and all of the above, but in perfect balance. If you agree with me on those classifications, you owe it to yourself to give David Grisman's Acoustic Christmas a shot to see if it doesn't change your mind about Christmas songs. And if you don't agree with me, you still owe it to yourself to give this CD a listen to see if it doesn't make its way into your Christmas collection.